It is exactly 3:25 in the morning and the only thing I can say is: PHEW! This chapter, my friends, is unnaturally long as compared to the others. In fact, there are a few places within it that I could have easily broken itup into multiple segments, but for some reason decided not to. The muse striking and all of that, I suppose. Anyhow, I do hope you enjoy my efforts-- reviews would be especially appreciated here. Is it too rambling? Does the sequencing make sense? Do the characters stay in character? Etc? Please do let me know. I'm off to bed, lovelies, can't wait for your feedback!

...TanzFieber

CLANG! the sound of metal on metal resounded on the deck as the swords met and locked down to the hilt.

Kelsea Sparrow dug her heels in and pushed with all of her might, but frankly the fact that she was outweighed by her adversary by about one hundred pounds was working against her. With a squeak of dismay, she found herself skidding backwards towards the railing.

"C'mon lass, show me what ye've got!" Jack Sparrow leaned away and let his daughter regain her footing, but with only a small shove was able to send her backwards again. He grinned wickedly into her face and the next time she surged forwards, he disengaged their weapons and sidestepped-- sending the girl sprawling to the deck from the momentum. Now presented with her unguarded back, the pirate captain swaggered around her prone form and stepped on the blade of her sword, pointing his own at her.

"Easy come, easy go, Luv," Jack purred with another smug look.

Kelsea flipped herself onto her back and sat up on her elbows, finding the opposing sword tip leveled at her throat. The twelve-year-old scowled darkly and knocked his blade away with the flat of her knuckles, earning an even bigger golden grin from the man at the other end of said blade. "S'not me fault yer bigger than I am…"

"Rather, but it is yer fault fer not keeping yer momentum in check. I've tol' ye twoscore times, Kels, don' use force ye can't stop." Jack could tell that she was getting highly annoyed-- a fiery blush was creeping to her sun-chapped cheeks. "So, young missy, game t'try again?"

The dark-haired girl got to her feet and kicked the sword up into her right hand, eyes flashing. "En garde, Captain!"

"That's my girl."

The swords met again with an echoing crash, and the Sparrows circled again. Since it was late in the afternoon, by now all the crew had finished most of their tasks and ventured up to the main deck to see what all the ruckus was about. Catching sight of dueling father and daughter, all members of the crew smiled appreciatively and quietly began making wagers on the outcome of the fight. Jack was bigger and more experienced, but Kelsea was quick. The pirates of the Black Pearl knew their captain to be a skilled fighter who could not be bested by most men. At the same time, however, they also knew that the girl fought like a small tiger and she had beaten them all in playful duels at one time or another. What it came down to, they knew, was the fighting edge-- the desire to win the scuffle at all costs-- and each man recognized that it was Kelsea who had it.

When Jack was fighting another cutthroat for his life, he was as dangerous as they come, but right then he was fighting his young daughter and the easy humor was evident on his face. He was lazier with his parries and half-force with his attacks, and Kelsea was slowly starting to notice that. The girl was fighting for her injured pride, and began seeking weaknesses in the captain's form. Yes, it was only the truth that most of the crew daringly had their money on the dark-haired little nymph wearing the captain's hat.

Jack Sparrow let out a hiss of surprise as he blocked a thrust and only narrowly ducked the over-head swing that came directly following it. Since when did th'whelp pull out combinations like that--? His kohl-rimmed eyes widened a bit as he realized that he would actually have to work for this fight. Looking into the face of his young daughter, the captain could see the angry determination that the crew had already noticed… and his stomach did a bit of a flip-flop. What if lost to her in front of the men--?

For her part, Kelsea chewed viciously at the inside of her cheek and shook a bit of sweat from her eyes, searching for that opening. Taught little tricks by each crew member and then schooled by the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow himself, the twelve-year-old now found herself fighting on instinct for the first time in her life. This time it wasn't broom sticks, it wasn't a lesson, and she wasn't laughing. Lunge. Parry. Thrust. Spin. She was pulling out every trick in the book, and some that weren't.

CLANG! The blades locked again and Jack leapt at the chance to use his larger size to his advantage for the second time. He shoved and she backed up, moving with him instead of trying the impossible task of out-muscling him. However, not looking where she was going, she tripped over a coil of rope and sat down hard. Sensing victory, Jack laughed harshly and lunged for the disarming stroke that would give him the win.

As the sword-tip flashed forwards, Kelsea did something most unexpected: She whipped Jack's hat from her head to smother the thrust… but the keen blade bit through the tough leather and came through the other side, stopping inches from her face. Despite this heart-stopping moment, she twisted the tri-corne sharply, wrenching the still-embedded sword from the captain's grasp. Before he had time to do anything but yelp in surprise, the dark-eyed girl had flipped the 'hat-kabob' around so that she was holding the hilt and in the same motion, pointed her own sword at her adversary's chest.

"Easy come, easy go, Cap'n," she panted, grinning in triumph as she continued to level her weapon at her father's unprotected chest. The crew of the Pearl broke out into laughter and cheering.

Jack Sparrow stood breathing heavily himself, shock at what had just happened written all over his face. He, Captain Jack Sparrow, had just been bested by a twelve-year-old runt of a girl in front of his whole entire crew. Feeling his face burning as he looked around at the men who had just witnessed his defeat, the captain narrowed his eyes dangerously. How DARE she? Sure, deep down he knew that she had beaten him fairly and had deserved to win, but that didn't mean he was going to act quite so graciously. "Ye cheatin' cad…" he growled deep in his throat.

Kelsea Sparrow had been in the middle of being congratulated by the crew when she heard his words and glanced up sharply. "What?"

"Ye bloody cheated, that's what!" He repeated, standing up taller. The crew immediately quieted and held their breath. They might have known he would behave this way… always was a bit of a prima donna. The girl who was being accused immediately rose to face him, her own dark eyes now narrowing.

"I did not cheat," she replied bitingly, amazed that he was even making such claims.

"Ye ignored th'rules of engagement by usin' outside implements to win! An' look what ye've bloody done to me hat!" Jack raged, snatching the tri-corne from the end of the sword and showing her the slit that was now in the top. "Bloody pirate!"

Under any other circumstances, this accusation would be greeted with appreciative laughter, but this time it was most certainly not. "Pirate--? Yer callin' me a pirate? Well I don' know if ye've seen a mirror lately, Captain…" Kelsea replied scathingly, hot tears beginning to prick the backs of her eyes as she gazed back at her father in anger and confusion. Why couldn't he just congratulate her for finally winning..?

Jack only snorted derisively and waved a hand at her in dismissal. "Say whatever ye want, whelp… every man here saw ye cheat." He turned to the men around them suddenly and shouted. "An' who told you stupid lot t'stop yer duties? BACK T'WORK YE BILGE RATS!" They hurried to do as he ordered, each shooting the girl a sympathetic look.

"Now, f'ye'll excuse me… I've got a hat t'fix." Jack Sparrow turned on his heel to stalk away and sulk like a spoiled toddler, but not before he caught sight of Kelsea standing there still holding two swords with tears streaming down her small face. Bugger…

LATER THAT EVENING…

It was as the reddish orb of a sun sunk below the horizon line that the Black Pearl glided into the harbor of Tortuga. Kelsea Sparrow sat in the galley and stared out the small porthole at the sweet and delicate flower that was the pirate's port. She sighed and contemplated her still-full plate of stew and a biscuit before just pushing it away and resting her face in her hands. Since the infamous father-daughter duel that had gone down about three hours ago, the dark-haired girl had bandaged up her bruised knuckles and rested her aching muscles, but nothing had helped the emotional upheaval that the fight had created.

She had beaten him. Fair and square, she knew, in an epic duel of sorts… and suffice to say that he hadn't taken it well. In a way, Kelsea could understand where Captain Sparrow was coming from-- could understand that he would find embarrassment in the fact that his daughter had bested him… In front of th'whole bloody crew, too! Thinking of this, of the look on Jack's face, the girl began to feel the beginnings of guilt churn in her stomach. She had only been trying to save her own pride, of course, but had she really NEEDED to humiliate him..? Maybe he was right in being angry with her--

"'Scuse me, Miss Kelsea?"

The girl jumped and slapped both hands down in surprise-- one of them landing directly in her plate of stew. The goopy brown gravy hit her directly in the face and she scrunched her features up, feeling a particularly large glob slide down her nose. "Eww…" was the articulate response that came from her mouth and she used the back of a sleeve to wipe her eyes.

Duncan, the crew member who had startled her, stood nearby trying to rather unconvincingly disguise his laughing as coughing. Kelsea cracked open one eye and glared at him.

"Shut yer gob, Duncan… Don' think I won' come over there an' wipe this all over ye…" For a friendly twelve-year-old, she certainly could pull out the 'aggravated Jack Sparrow' impression when she wanted to.

This shut him up, but he continued to smirk. "Ahem. Sorry…"

"Somethin' ye wanted, mate?"

"Oh, er… Th'Cap'n wants t'see ye in his cabin. Erm… Toute suite, I think was 'ow 'e said it."

Kelsea finally finished wiping her face to the best of her ability, and looked over at him before nodding. "Aye… I'll be righ' over." Duncan nodded and patted her on the arm with another chuckle before ducking out of the galley.

The raven-haired daughter of Captain Jack Sparrow sat for a moment longer, absently combing bits of salted meat from her hair. So if she HAD been wrong to beat him that way… maybe she should just apologize..? She stood up at that, resolved to make things better with the hot-tempered pirate captain she had just begun calling 'dad.' Besides the fact that she felt guilty, Kelsea knew deep down that it was far easier for her to admit that she was wrong than it was for him. He was stubborn, and frankly, she didn't want the feud to go on any longer than it had to-- she enjoyed his company too much, not that she would admit it outright.

And so, feeling brighter about the fact that the argument was about to be righted, Kelsea Sparrow made her way across the deck of the Black Pearl to the room she shared with a certain captain each night. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Aye? Enter, whoever ye are."

She opened the heavy oaken door and was about to just launch into her apology… "Cap'n I jus' wanted to…" when she noticed that the man standing before her was dressed to go out. "…Oh, er. Were y'goin' somewhere, Cap'n Sparrow?"

Jack stood tugging on one of his soft leather boots, dressed, as she had noted, in his signature garb. Even the kohl around his eyes looked fresh and the tri-cornered hat was newly mended. He looked up at her question and snorted. "What happened t'you, whelp-- yer s'posed t'eat the stew, not try an' cheat it in a duel."

Ouch. CLEARLY he was not as willing to forgive and forget as she was. Blushing hotly at the fact that he had noticed the gravy still on her face and also at the continued accusations that she was not a fair fighter, Kelsea's previously open expression turned into a scowl. She said nothing in response and he went back to readjusting his appearance.

"Oh, an' as far as where I'm goin'… This whole location is what we pirates like t'call a port-- y'know, a place where big boats go to get out of the open ocean..?" Jack was mocking her mercilessly. It wasn't that he meant to be as mean as he was, but the sting of that humiliating loss was still fresh in his mind.

"I know what a port is, thanks."

He smiled his best patronizing smile. "An' what might one do at such a place..?" he prompted her sweetly.

"..Get off th'ship an' acquire things." Kelsea finished with a glare, knowing that he was playing mean games with her and hating it. Jack only nodded with that same indulgent smirk and straightened up, walking past her to the open door.

"Smart girl." Just before he left, however, he turned to mention one more thing. "Oh, an' whelp… y'should know that the type o' thing I plan on acquiring won' want t'share th'bed wiv a child…" he paused until the horrified look on her face indicated that she had caught on to what he was talking about. He was going to bring back a whore. "So I'll be needin' ye t'sleep somewhere else this evenin'."

And then Jack Sparrow was gone with a sweep of his long leather coat, and Kelsea was left glaring at his back. Fine, if he was going to act like a bully, she didn't bloody need him anyway!

SOME HOURS PASS...

"Kelsea--! Help me, lass! Help me, please!" Joshamee Gibbs was clinging desperately to the royal yard arm as the waves tossed the Pearl about as if it were a toy boat instead of a full-sized ship. The rolling and plunging deck below seemed miles away, and wind-driven raindrops stung like needles. "KELSEA!" His hands were slipping, he was about to be plucked away by the howling gail--!

Little Kelsea Sparrow, holding tight to the same arm not five feet away, stretched out a small hand. "Mr. Gibbs! No--! I'm tryin', really I am! Jus' hold on a liddle longer!" Closer and closer she inched, millimeter by agonizingly slow milimeter… Why couldn't she move properly? It was as if some invisible force were holding her back, leaving her incapable of doing anything except watching her dearest companion dangle precariously from the slippery spar… his fingers slipping… his voice calling for help-- HER help…

"Lass, I can't hold on any longer… M'slippin'--! Climb out a bit further an'-- Fer th'love o' mother n' child, why won' ye help me?" His gray eyes bored into her own. Accusing. Begging. Pleading. "We're ole pals, me n' you, lass… don' ye care about me? Me who practically took ye in as me own daughter?"

"NO! Don' say that! Mr. Gibbs!" She screamed, shaking her head back and forth, hot tears now mingling with the cold rain on her cheeks. "I'm TRYIN' t'save you, I am! You have t'believe me… P-please… I c-can't…" Stretching. Reaching. Failing.

He stopped yelling for help. He hung there by his fingertips, the knowledge that he was going to plunge to his doom now concrete in both of their minds. Joshamee Gibbs just stared and Kelsea Sparrow could not look away. Just feet away, perhaps only six inches between their extended fingertips, and she was going to have to watch him die. Accusing. Begging. Pleading. Stretching. Reaching. Failing--

"Goodbye, lass…" And he his gnarled hands slipped those last few inches, resignedly it seemed for they ceased clawing at the air. He whispered these last words, but they echoed in her ears, louder than the wind and louder than the rain. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye…

"NOOOOOOOO--!"

Kelsea Sparrow shot upright, desperately fought the sweaty sheets that entangled her, and tumbled to the floor with a painful bump. Staring wildly around for Mr. Gibbs, she was met only by pitch black. Was she blind? Was she dead? Was this Hell? But then dim shapes began to appear in the darkness as her eyes adjusted. That large lump over there… it was… it was a… chair.

Shaking badly, the raven-haired twelve-year-old slowly came to the realization that she was in the first-mate's cabin aboard the Black Pearl. The silvery moonlight that washed in through the window lended itself to the fact that the hour was late, and the silence of the ship proved it.

The invisible force that had been holding her back-- those were the sheets she was now ensnared in. The darkness of hell-- that was just night-time aboard the Pearl. The presence of Mr. Gibbs-- that was just a dream.

One chocolate-eyed child whimpered softly in the darkness and wrapped her small arms around herself, unable to stop the tears. It had seemed so real…Her body hurt in all of the places that had broken her fall to the wood floor, a particularly chilly floor that she still sat upon. It had seemed so real…Her mind raced, still unable to separate nightmare from reality. It had seemed so real…Her entire being shook, racked with muffled sobs and shivers as the freezing sweat dried on her skin. It had seemed so real…

It was in that moment that Kelsea Sparrow ceased to be a pirate. The defiance melted away, siphoned from her conscious mind along with confidence and bravery. Where it disappeared to she did not know, but what it came down to was this-- in this lonely, cursed darkness she was only as big as her quaking frame. It was in that moment that Kelsea Sparrow became a twelve-year-old little girl… a twelve-year-old little girl who needed her daddy. Now was not the time to be proud, now was the time to feel safe. Now was not the time to be courageous, now was the time to feel small.

Hiccupping through her tears, Kelsea Sparrow rose to her feet, hugged herself tight, and made for the door. The creaking seemed to her as loud as a pistol shot and she froze on the balls of her feet, but the silence that followed meant that nobody had been disturbed. Out into the hall she went, tip-toeing and hiccupping and shivering… all the way to the huge door that barred the captain's quarters.

Once there, the girl hesitated-- of course she did. For one thing, she knew for a fact that he had a naked woman in there… and for another, for all she knew he was still angry about their duel. She held her small fist up to knock and held it there, still as a statue. However, realizing that not knocking would mean having to return to the haunted setting of Gibbs's old room by herself, the child raised the hand higher and struck the oaken timbers.

It was not a necessarily loud knock-- more of a tap, really-- but it seemed to echo just as the creak had. Hiccup. Shiver. Nothing. Taking a shaky breath, Kelsea raised the fist and brought it down again, this time louder. The sound made her jump and still nothing, until…

A soft scuffling could be heard from within, followed by a loud bump, followed by an even louder curse. "We'd better bloody well be under attack 'cause f'yer not about t'be killed by cannon fire, yer abou' t'be killed by me…" And then the door swung inward violently.

Captain Jack Sparrow stood framed by dim candle-light, dressed only in tattered breeches, peering drowsily out into the dark passage. It was rather apparent that he was not happy about being awoken at some obscene hour of the night, if the sleep-shrouded scowl was anything to go by. He stared around at eye-level in confusion for a moment, before his gaze fell to the small girl cowering in front of him.

"Wha-- Kelsea--?" he half-stated/half-questioned, rubbing groggily at his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly… and he was. For a moment the pirate began working himself up into anger again-- What was th'whelp bloody doing waking him up at this hour--? But then he noticed the tears glistening on her cheeks and the fact that her teeth were audibly chattering. The anger went out without a second thought. "Kelsea..?" He knelt down and took her gently by the shoulders, trying to see into her face as she looked floor-ward. The twelve-year-old didn't say anything, feelings of shame beginning to flow through her now that he was there.

Captain Jack sighed and used one weather-rough thumb to wipe away the tears from her cheeks. "Alrigh', Luv… S'alrigh' now… Here, wait a moment," He tapped her gently on the nose, stood and retreated into his bedroom, leaving his daughter standing in the doorway.

From where she was, Kelsea could see that he had returned to the bed and roused the other occupant. The head and shoulders of some anonymous barmaid appeared, and it was clear that said woman was not pleased at the intrusion. Jack leaned over her, spoke words that Kelsea couldn't hear, and pointed towards the door. The wench, whatever her name was, looked positively horrified at whatever the captain had said and apparently tried to argue with him, but inevitably she rose and began angrily collecting her articles.

Kelsea watched as Captain Jack crossed his arms across his bare chest and impassively watched the woman get dressed, saying nothing to the venomous glances she was giving him. When she was finished, she confronted the man and poked him none-too-gently in the chest, holding out a hand… which he promptly tossed a money bag into. Counting the money, the woman seemed at least appeased and turned to go when--

CRACK!

The sharp noise reached out into the hall, and seconds later Kelsea Sparrow had to step aside as the Tortugan whore stalked by and Jack could still be seen within holding a hand to his face. Clearly she had slapped him, not that he hadn't deserved it.

And then Jack was at the door again, silently taking the girl's hand and leading her inside where a few candles now lit the room. The door swung closed with a thump and the child visibly cowered at the noise. The captain sighed and beckoned her to the bed where they both took a seat.

"Kelsea…" Jack began softly, his voice a good half-octave lower than normal and still tinged with sleep, "what's the matter, darling?"

"I… I-- M'sorry I ruined yer… yer date…" she stammered, and he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Shhh… Breathe easy, Luv. Tell ol' Jack what it is that's botherin' ye."

The dark-haired girl wrapped her arms tighter around herself and closed her eyes, the tears starting afresh. "I-it was awful-l… H-he was slipping-g an' I… I couldn' reach… I t-tried… G-goodbye…" Once again it was a warm hand that stopped her from going further.

He knew who she was talking about, after all… for who else could it be? A man falling that she couldn't save? Aye, t'would be the same man whose name she still mumbled in her sleep. Not knowing what else to do, Jack began rubbing small circles on his daughter's lower back. "Okay, t'was just a dream, Luv… Jus' a bad dream…"

Kelsea sighed as he had, but this was more along the lines of relief. She was safe. This was safe. Jack was safe. She leaned into the touch, into his side, sighing once again.

The pair didn't speak for a while, so Jack kept rubbing. Maybe she would just go back to sleep… But that didn't actually seem to be happening and frankly he wanted very badly to go back to sleep himself. Thankfully, another idea sprang to his head and he sat up straighter, taking his hand away from her back.

Glancing up with uncertainty across her tear-stained features, the girl gave him a look that very clearly bespoke of the fact that she wanted him to continue the comforting gesture. Quelling her fears with an easy smile, Jack tipped her chin up the slightest bit.

"I've 'ad another thought," he confided, and she looked at him questioningly.

"W-what's that-t?"

"Would ye like me t'give ye a… a magical charm t'keep th'bad dreams away?"

After getting a small nod, Jack leaned over and picked up his knife from the bedside table. Hanging his head forwards so that he could sort through the many decorations entwined in his dark mane of hair, the captain quickly selected one and cut the lock with a flourish. Holding out his hand for her to see, he nodded his head solemnly.

"This liddle beauty will keep 'em away, Kels, I'd stake me good name on it."

The small girl he was speaking to didn't bother to point out that the name 'Jack Sparrow' was probably synonymous with 'weasel,' instead leaning in to inspect the small silver coin with the hole through the middle that lay in his palm. It wasn't that she really believed in magical charms, but at this point the fact that he was offering it was more comforting than the coin itself…

"What m'I s'posed t'do wiv it..?"

"Keep it on yer person at all times, o' course! 'ere, lemme show ye a trick…"

And Jack Sparrow reached over to his small daughter and… began braiding a lock of her hair. His fingers were surprisingly adept at the task, and it was but the work of a moment when he finished it off by working in the coin.

"There. Jus' like mine."

Kelsea reached up and reverently touched the 'dream charm' that was now hanging down at her shoulder. Just like Jack's.